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Peters Township’s Kness wins PIAA golf title

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Brian Farrell knew everything was going to work out by the conversation he had with his prized golfer Mia Kness.

Two days before the PIAA Golf Championships, the Peters Township golf coach heard Kness say what he hoped she would.

“She said, ‘I’m going to win,'” Farrell recalled. “Not, ‘I think I’m going to win,’ but, ‘I’m going to win.’ When I heard that, I knew she was ready.”

Through four-plus hours of shot-making, Kness held a one-stroke lead over Conestoga sophomore Samantha Yao. Kness overcame the stomach-churning ache the pressure can bring over the last two holes and went on to become the first female state golf champion in Peters Township’s history, winning by two strokes.

Kness shot an even-par 144 over the Heritage Hills Golf Resort in York Tuesday to win the Class AAA title. Yao finished with a 2-over 146.

“We went wire-to-wire,” said Kness, headed to Seton Hall next year on a golf scholarship. “I’m so happy. All the work I put in was worth it.”

Kness held a one-stroke lead coming to the 18th tee. Both birdied the par-4 17th and a triple-bogey 7 on No. 9 and a bogey on the par-4 10th to see a three-stroke lead cut to one.

Both girls reached the green of the par-5 18th in two and Kness held her breath as Yao’s putt for eagle was headed straight for the center of the cup.

But Yao had the speed wrong and the ball rolled over the cup, hit the back part of the lip and rolled about five feet past. Kness put her eagle putt close. It didn’t matter because Yao missed a tricky downhill breaker. Kness dropped the short birdie putt to close it out.

“I was really confident in myself,” said Kness, a four-time state qualifier who finished third and fourth in the last two tournaments. “This means so much to me.”

Yao, Kness and Julianne Lee were in a three-way tie after the first round, shooting 37s. Kness pulled away in the first eight holes, shooting 2-under to that point.

“Last year, she had the lead but lost to Brynn Walker (of Radnor) and all she did was go on to North Carolina on a scholarship. At tryouts this year, I knew Mia was better than she was last year. She averaged (a score of) 36.1 for the season. She just seemed more seasoned.”

Farrell knew Kness was a special talent when, in her freshman season, she won the Chairman’s Cup at Cedarbrook Golf Course in Belle Vernon after shooting 70.

“She can handle the pressure,” Farrell said. “She said there was tremendous pressure (in the PIAA tournament). She helped show other kids know they can take it to the next level, too.”

Kness plans to catch up on some school work and play a couple tournaments over the next few months.

“It’s good to know that I could carry on the tradition of Peters Township golf,” she said. “I hope this brings girls into the program and I hope they follow in my footsteps.”

Canon-McMillan’s Taylor Waller finished ninth with a 162.

Olivia Zambruno, a senior from Greensburg Central Catholic, won the Class AA girls championship with a 157.

Kevin Scherr of Nazareth won the boys Cloys AA title with a 2-over 144. Peters Township junior Hunter Bruce was 20th.

Chris Tanabe of Quaker Valley lead a 1-2-3-4 finish by District 7 golfers in Class AA with a 4-over 146. Colin Chapman of McGuffey was ninth, while teammate Hunter Donahue and Christian Sadler of Bentworth finished in a tie for 12th. Aaron Yorio of Waynesburg was 17th.

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